I remember swing making a resurgence which lasted about 5 minutes in the late 90s.
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Actually, I think "neo-swing" and "electro- swing - heavily influenced by rock rhythms and guitars - still garners sizable audiences in concerts and sells some records...uh...downloads. Think Brian Setzer Orchestra or Caravan Palace. But as far as I know, the genre never got any airplay.
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I have been to many a concert, but one of the very best ones was the Brian Setzer Orchestra back in the late 90s at the Greek. He brought the swing for nearly two hours and the band was awesome.
I have been to many a concert, but one of the very best ones was the Brian Setzer Orchestra back in the late 90s at the Greek. He brought the swing for nearly two hours and the band was awesome.
Yes - I saw Setzer at the Bill Graham Civic (medium sized venue) in San Francisco on New Year's Eve...late 90s or early 00s. They were awesome, and as loud as most mainstream rock concerts.
Here is the thing about "classic hits"...it is totally about the quality of the music. I have noticed that many classic hits stations today, (won't mention any names...KRTH), are totally focused on the late 70's and 80's. So this means Billy Joel, J.Geils, Madonna, Queen, Genesis, REO, on and on...and perhaps that is the path to great ratings among the 35-54's. But those who loved hits from the 60's and 70's are boxed out. Are these listeners useless to advertisers? I really want to know.
In the larger metros where much radio advertising is bought through agencies, there is essentially no money placed against 55+.
In those same larger markets, radio is too expensive for small business owners, as they are paying for coverage way beyond the trade zone of their one or two outlets.
The smaller the market, the more local direct fuels revenues and the greater the possibility that a station that appeals to, let's say, 45-64, can make a go of it.
Agencies, often following their client's marketing research or directives, don't buy the audience that 60's and early 70's music appeals, mostly, to because it is well over 55. And they understand that older consumers are a much harder "sell" which drives the cost vs. returns way up.
It's not like that music is completely unavailable. We have this discussion constantly. Lots of small AMs with FM translators are picking up the format in lots of places. There are several syndicators providing this format for stations that don't want the expense of local talent. They're catering to advertisers who want this demographic. So that means a lot of 1-800 commercials about various prostate drugs and hair remedies. It can be done. Not a lot of money. But it's being done.
Being...er....over 55...I feel your pain. But fortunately, we live in an age of the internet, where you can stream Oldies, Smooth Jazz, or whatever music you like, that's no longer on the broadcast airwaves. Not to mention Pandora, Spotify, or downloading individual songs from iTunes without having to buy "albums." In my time, I've seen a lot of radio formats "age out" - MOR - gone by the 80s, 50s Oldies - gone by the 90s, "Beautiful" music - gone by the 80s, Smooth Jazz - gone in the late 00s, and so on. I recall stations my parents listened to in the 60s, like KNX, which had Bob Crane with MOR music in the morning, then Mike Roy's cooking show, then Arthur Godfrey and Art Linkletter's House Party, from the network, Pat Buttram's cornball humor show (local, I think), news in the afternoon and evening, then MOR Music 'Til Dawn. If memory serves, that was considered "all service radio," or something of that sort.
But here's the thing about that: Streaming on the internet is VERY expensive. Maybe not for you, but for the companies that offer the stream. Pandora is very successful, and has never turned a profit because of the expense. Spotify is still a private company, so we don't know exactly how much money they're losing, but we're pretty sure it's a lot. The music costs increase every few years. At some point, the expense of streaming will be passed on to users. Especially for genres that can't attract advertising. That means a paywall. You're already seeing Pandora and Spotify offer what they call "premium" versions of their service. That means a monthly fee. It's usually not a lot. Maybe $10 a month. But it's money you didn't have to pay previously. So that's the reality moving forward.
You may be right about streaming. I'm mostly stuck in the 00s - I download songs from iTunes and similar sites, so I can "own" them. I bought both 45 rpm singles and albums as a kid. A 45 rpm single cost $1.00 in 1966. Adjusted for inflation, that would be like paying $7.56 for a single song today, but we pay $1.25. Put another way, that would have been like getting a 45 single in 1966 for .13 cents. So as I see it, music is more available and affordable than ever.
That's always been an option. Even in the 1920s. But this is called Radio Discussions. Not Music Discussions.
So my point is that for people who want some form of radio to hear their music, they will have to bear some of the cost.
The very first 45 record I ever bought "Spike Jones Murders 'Carmen'" cost $1.00 in 1956. It is currently available for download on Amazon for 89 cents. Not much inflation way back then.
I guess I don't think of streaming websites as "radio" - even if they adhere to a format, play jingles, etc.
My personal Spike Jones favorite is his version of "You Always Hurt the One You Love.". I never owned it on 45 - IIRC, Dr. Demento used to play it.
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Zody's was still selling 45 RPM singles for 49 cents in the 70s?
Yep...and Crane's in Inglewood for 53...The Wherehouse for 69. But the labels' list price for a single was $1.00.
What about the White Front?
I remember that Gail Davis (Annie Oakley on TV) did TV commercials for either Zody's or White Front, but can't remember which one.In Sunland/Tujunga where I grew up, there were 2 choices for records - the local music store, which mostly taught music lessons and sold instruments, but also sold 45s. And the Hi-Fi Sound Mart, which sold stereos, washers, dryers, etc. - and sold record albums. Neither place discounted new records, though the music store had a cardboard box on the floor where you could buy the 45s that didn't sell for .49 cents, after a few month. When I was old enough to drive, I'd go to the Wherehouse in Glendale, but I was only into albums by that time.
With holes punched in them? Or did that come later, when they were sent to discount department stores and the like for one last chance at sales? I remember sorting though bunches of those singles in bins, most of them stiffs. You could also get plastic bags with several inside for $1.
I believe that the ones with holes were "cut outs" which had been returned from retail via the distributor for credit. They could only be sold at a deep discount and generally not via the places that sold new releases, at least until some time had passed.
Late 1960s & early 70s, there was a record store a few doors down from the store my Dad managed. On my first visit they had a wooden box of 45s marked 10 cents each. On my second visit that box was gone. I asked. They took me to a back room with 4 wood boxes. The guy told me they were 15 for a dollar and if I'd buy 100, that would be $5. Needless to say, I begged some advance on my allowance and went for 100.
The beauty was among the stiffs were promo copies of singles. I think my last visit was in the summer of 1971. Out of the 100 I got each time, about 15 to 25 were current top 40 hits and not marginal stuff either. The other 75 to 85 were mostly stiffs as far as top 40 went but a few went on to be R&B hits or country hits. A few of those stiffs were great tunes that never got airplay. Some were the sort that left you scratching your head wondering why it was ever recorded. Each visit I had to ask to browse those records.
For a kid with a part 15 station, it was a favorite place where the weekly allowance went a long way considering a hit single's best price was at, believe it or not, a Singer Sewing Machine shop that had the 45s at 59 cents each.
The beauty was among the stiffs were promo copies of singles. I think my last visit was in the summer of 1971. Out of the 100 I got each time, about 15 to 25 were current top 40 hits and not marginal stuff either. The other 75 to 85 were mostly stiffs as far as top 40 went but a few went on to be R&B hits or country hits. A few of those stiffs were great tunes that never got airplay. Some were the sort that left you scratching your head wondering why it was ever recorded. Each visit I had to ask to browse those records.
For a kid with a part 15 station, it was a favorite place where the weekly allowance went a long way considering a hit single's best price was at, believe it or not, a Singer Sewing Machine shop that had the 45s at 59 cents each.
We are getting way off topic here, but the reason they were "cut out" was to be sold as damaged goods. Damaged goods didn't qualify for RIAA sales or for artist & songwriter royalty. That's why they could be sold so cheap. No one got paid except the label and the store. It's built in to the contract. So yes, cheap music is great, except it rips off the people who make it.
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